Discussions of a Regenerative Kind
by AmberKendsLacy
Summary: 50th anniversary celebration. With every regeneration the doctor gains a new self and identity, that of course clash on more than one occasion. Psychological high jinks ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Own nothing but OC'S that aren't even in this fic so...okay.**

**Enjoy and here's a guide in case you get confused (Lord knows I have, and I'm writing this.) **

* * *

_A _First Doctor

**A** Second Doctor

(A) Third Doctor

#A# Fourth Doctor

*A* Fifth Doctor

^A^ Sixth Doctor

-A- Seventh Doctor

_A_ Eighth Doctor

{A} Ninth Doctor

&A& Tenth Doctor

+A+ Eleventh Doctor

* * *

_One: Decisions of the mind._

* * *

"Come now child, we must hurry there isn't another second we can waste!" An elderly man whispered urgently as he and a much younger girl walked and at times, ran through the citadel's hallways and corridors, taking every opportunity to dodge being seen by uncaring eyes.

"Grandfather, I don't think I can go on much longer." The girl whimpered, the elderly man by this point practically dragging her behind him. She wanted so badly to stop for a moment and relax her tired legs, but she knew even a moment could cost them everything, so she continued on, doing her best to ignore her the straining pain of her legs.

Eventually they managed to slow at the other side of the citadel, the elderly man taking a moment to look all around before quickly tapping the entry code into the door's key code, the old door creaking slightly as it shot upwards, the brief stench of stale air wavering from the action as the girl pulled a brief face, the contents of the room apparently not sitting well with her.

"Type 40's? But they haven't been in commission for centuries, besides I doubt there will be one that would agree to help us Grandfather." The white haired man just tuttered at his grandchild, leading her into the old room, peering curiously at the silent silo representations of the Time Machines, each one looking exactly like the other, yet each one seemed to tell a completely different story to the old man. Stories of old damages and dangerous adventures that sounded completely like the grandfather's cup of tea.

He was still contemplating the right silo to choose when he felt a foreign feeling tugging at the back of his mind, demanding his attention. The feeling was immediately categorized as another mind, and the man was immediately insulted enough to drag the surprised mind to the front of his thoughts to tell it off.

_How dare you sir, invading my thoughts like this. Well, hmm? What do you have to say for yourself?_

The other mind was not swayed in the slightest from the sudden attack and instead spoke, his voice for some reasoning felt short coming and rumpled to the elderly man.

**The one on the end by the wall, take that one.**

The man raised a physical eyebrow, confused by why this other mind would want to help him and his grandchild, outcasts that they were.

**Well that's a little ungracious isn't it? Just immediately assume that I'm another mind? Have you never had these discussions before? **He did have to admit, well at least to himself, the voice did feel familiar, but not in a way that the man had expected.

_No I'm sorry to tell you young man that we have not met before, now if you could explain what you're doing here, that would be most kind of you._

(Please excuse the little fellow, he doesn't seem to know what he's talking about, it's the one on the right that you want.)

The man managed to stop himself from groaning in annoyance as he felt another mind peer into his, this one was more refined, yet somehow still managed to retain the same kind of rumpled intuition that the latter carried.

**And who was asking you, you Dandy Fancy Pants! Besides, I remember this perfectly fine and it was the one at the end!**

(It was the one on the right!)

**No it wasn't!**

_Enough! _The other voices stopped as the man snapped at them, aggravated that at such a serious moment, these strange voices were babbling about something that didn't concern them.

_The both of you will stop in this charade, neither of you are welcome here now be off on your way! The choice is mine and has nothing to do with the either of you! _There was silence for a moment, and the man was almost lead to believe that they had left him in peace.

#Well now, this seems awkward. #

**Oh dear, now look what you've done, you've brought out the scarf.**

(I had nothing to do with that, he came of his own accord.)

**Humph, seems that's the only way to get him involved.**

Then again, he had been taught to not always believe the expected. The new voice, if possible was even wilder in thought and practice than the others, as he would often feel this one's presence slip in and out every so often, as if this mind was incapable of keeping one thought in one place.

#And its fortunate that I stepped in when I did. Don't listen to these two, one can barley even remember how to drive the old girl, the other just couldn't.#

(If we could just remember correctly, it was because of the Hobo that I forgot.)

**I am perfectly capable of piloting the TARDIS!**

#I'll believe that when I see it.#

*Now, now there's no need for this is there. After all we were supposed to help him find the TARDIS in the first place.* Another voice, younger and well mannered with a constant sense of urgency.

But that didn't matter, what mattered was there was now at least five different voices occupying his conscious mind with their arguments, filling his once clear thoughts into a muddled mess. And he was just about finished with it.

_Do be quiet all of you! _The voices stopped again and listened to him as he continued. _Now, before this can continue, can any other beings that would like to drop their own unnecessary comments in, please step forward. _

He was being sarcastic of course, so it really was a surprise when other voices, sheepish in their own ways, stepped forward from out of the blue. Each personality more puzzling than the last in what they would have in common.

^Ah yes, I thought he might figure that out. ^ Brash, egotistical with a bit of an Over-dramatic flair.

-Can you blame him? I mean we are rather problematic when we're involved-

A Tellurian Scottish accent which seemed simple, yet held a mystery to it.

_Very sorry about this, but they wanted to make sure_

Another polite one, this one less innocent that the last however.

{It's not as if he couldn't figure this one out for himself. }

Rude, tough and what he believed to be the Tellurian accent of Northern.

&Oh brilliant I was wondering when the next discussion would be! What's going on?&

Another earth accent, this time Cockney and easily over excitable.

+Ah, sorry I'm late, some problems with the direction, now I think we were helping him find the right TARDIS.+

Young again, this seemed to be the favorite pattern, but this one still had a good deal of mystery to it.

**Yes and I've already given him the answer so you can all leave.**

(My dear fellow, the only answer you've given is the wrong answer.)

Right because you were any closer to the answer than he was.

&Oh I don't know, it does look like her...&

_Look like whom? In fact who are all of you? Don't you know it's rude to enter one's mind without permission? _He finally managed to get a word in over the noise and the voices stopped again. He noticed at this time that every time he spoke, they would immediately listen. Which was a completely difference from when they spoke to each other, one had to cut off the other just to have a few seconds chance to be heard. Unfortunately the silence did not last and they were speaking again, except this time in more of a hushed volume, supposedly they thought that he would not hear them.

**He really doesn't know, I thought he was just being grumpy as usual.**

(Perhaps this will pass more easily if we just tell him who we are.)

#Quite right, after all this is, chronologically, the very first discussion.#

*Exciting isn't it? The very first we ever spoke to each other.*

^Speak for yourself, I myself try to stay out of these things.^

-You must admit though, it is better than Contact.-

_The last Contact left me with the largest migraine that lasted a week..._

{Anyone else worried about how easily someone could mistake Contact with a hangover? }

&No, I think that's just you Nine.&

+Anyway, back to the original topic I believe our first man is waiting for an answer. +

(Quite right Erm...sorry old chap but which incarnation were you?)

+Eleven, the newest. +

**Ah delighted to see we at least made it to the double digits!**

The man coughed loudly, unaware that his granddaughter was not that far away and staring at him in obvious worry, wondering exactly what had been making him silently stand there for the last few seconds, his face often scowling in annoyance.

"Grandfather?" The voices seemed to recognize the child's presence and without their intention, spoke.

+And there's Susan, she looks so young. +

#Wonder if she still has that incarnation.#

(You mean you haven't checked back on her yet?)

*Well you know how things are in the TARDIS-*

**Yes, but that still doesn't excuse it! **

_Well of course it doesn't but we thought that she was happy where she was._

Immediately he knew who they were. The concern in their voices for his granddaughter, the upset from the way she was treated in her time. He had heard it many times; he had heard it from himself.

And these men were him.

The voices had continued arguing without him while he was left stranded on this thought. During this time he sent a look at his granddaughter, watching her inspecting each and every one of the Type 40's, sharing the exact same look of mischievous curiosity that he had always seen in his wife all those years ago, and wondered deep in his hearts why he would ever, ever want to leave her behind.

No, no impossible he would never leave her behind. She was all the family he had left. His wife was gone; the rest of his family had turned on him for his 'ridiculous' plans to see the universe. She was the only one who had agreed to go with him as he couldn't bear the thought of going alone, he would never dare do that to her.

**She won't be alone you know, we would never leave her like that either.**

_But now I'll always know during our travels that I'll have to leave her behind, and maybe never look back. _

+Not true there Doctor, after all one day you will go back. +

∧ when you do she will be different, but she'll still be the Susan, the Arkytior, that you met when she was just a tiny Time Tot. &

*I can't wait for that day.*

_Neither can I. _The newly dubbed Doctor felt the his other voices, or as they like to call themselves, regenerations, pull away from his mind and back into their own time stream, their farewells echoing for a few seconds before disappearing altogether.

-Farewell for now One can't wait for the next meeting!-

^I must say this one went down a little quicker than the last, either way goodbye and good luck, we'll be meeting again soon. ^

#Ditto my dear fellows! #

*Delighted to hear from you all but I must dash, lord knows what Tegan and the others will get up to without me watching them.*

&Oh speaking of companions, Donna's not gonna be happy with me...&

{See ya.}

_I have to go, but don't worry, you'll know what you're doing when the moment comes._

**Well then, that was interesting wasn't it, but I'm afraid I must leave as well, sorry that we couldn't be of more help to you but-**

(I wonder who's to blame for that.)

**Don't you start with me Fancy Pants!**

(Scarecrow!)

Eventually one by one they all pulled away and he was left alone again, his thoughts clear once more as he looked back to his watch, surprised to see only a few minutes had gone by and the alarms of their escape were only just being sounded.

The Doctor looked about the Type 40's, now completely unsure of which to choose, so he quickly picked the one right next to him, Susan running eagerly into the grey silo. The old man himself was about to enter the machine when he felt someone else's presence.

"Doctor." He turns to see a younger, brunette Time Lady and inwardly sighs, happy that it wasn't one of his future incarnations returning in the flesh just to make sure that he made the right choice.

"Yes what is it? What do you want?" He walked a bit forward and stares her in the eye, not really in the mood for pleasantries what with the whole self discussion that had just happened and the fact that alarms were going off all around them.

"Don't steal that one," She purposely leans against the Type 40 next to her and grins before continuing, "Steal this one. The navigation systems knackered, but you'll have much more fun." With that she turns and walks away, leaving the old man in silence for a moment before the calls of his granddaughter reached his ears.

He thinks about turning away and choosing the one next to him but falters when one of the voices returns.

+Trust her; she knows what she's doing. +

With that the first incarnation of the soon to be Oncoming Storm quickly collected his granddaughter from the other machine and quickly stepped into the next one the girl had suggested, knowing that it was probably always better to trust a future judgement.

"What do you think Grandfather?"

"Yes...yes," He places his hand on the console in the center of the room, feeling it grow warmer under his touch. He once again thinks of his wife, but that thought is pushed away by the beautiful simplicity of the time machine in front of him. He could already feel a place growing for it in his hearts.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever known."

* * *

**Hah, told you I was right.**

(Oh be quiet.)

* * *

**Okay, review if you want, constructive criticism is found to be very useful.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

_**AU: Okay so from what the reviews I've gotten so far I've been informed of different ways I could show the other Doctor's thoughts. I thank those people for their contributions; I have tried both of the suggestions but have found that, well they don't really sit that well with me. So for now I'm going to stick with what I had going before. That doesn't mean I won't go back and fix it up if I find a different way of doing it. Please review if you guys have any other suggestions you think would work better, I'd be very grateful.**_

_**Anyway, I own nothing but Oc's that aren't here so please enjoy.**_

* * *

_A _First Doctor

**A** Second Doctor

(A) Third Doctor

#A# Fourth Doctor

*A* Fifth Doctor

^A^ Sixth Doctor

-A- Seventh Doctor

_A_ Eighth Doctor

{A} Ninth Doctor

&A& Tenth Doctor

+A+ Eleventh Doctor

* * *

**Two: Creating an old friend**

* * *

A short strangely dressed man worked quickly on the device in front of him, muttering incoherently under his breath as he did so. His mutterings occasionally bounced off the white washed walls of the space lab, only reminding the time wanderer exactly how alone he was.

Well in physical form anyway, his mind was a different matter. From far away the mutterings of the strange man could have easily been passed off as the mumblings of a mad man, but up close... Well, at least they made sense to him.

He paused occasionally in his mutterings, glaring at the offending piece of technology sitting innocently in front of him. After a while he decided that glaring wasn't really changing anything, so he continued to work. The device was, of course, far from completed, as the blueprints he had next to him were far more difficult in practice than in reading.

(I'm just telling you dear chap, the neutron flow of that machine will not stabilize enough for what you're planning.)

The hobo physically bristled at what he considered an insult and sniffed before returning back to his work, determined to ignore the future whisperings of his regenerations. Their input really wasn't helping him to concentrate as they had a habit of speaking louder than intended, the fourth being the exception as he is loud through purpose.

_What's going on? Oh, oh I see, I remember this one. It's not the neutron flow; you need the Magnetic Clamp and Neutron Ram._

His next incarnation snorted sarcastically in reply, clearly not believing Eight's advice. Other selves also agreed with Three's comment, leaving Eight a little annoyed at their reaction to his advice.

(That's ridiculous; he's not working on the TARDIS.)

Well technically not, but the device was a part of the TARDIS. Yet so far any techniques that he usually used on the TARDIS wasn't really working on it, but that was to be suspected as this model was the very first to be built exclusively by him. Since the other model he was fortunate enough to own had been taken off of him by curtsey of his jailers. And it was certainly right to say that this model was nowhere near as agreeable or lenient to the Time Lord's occasional tinkering as the TARDIS usually was.

**Look do you mind, I am trying to work here and you're all being rather distracting.**

+Yes well we can't exactly help it can we? Not when you're getting it wrong. +

**Oh and I'd venture you know better?**

+Well of course I do, I am the newest after all. +

^Hmm, quite egotistic, not really a good sign is it? ^

Another voice broke out suddenly, interrupting the conversation between Two and this incarnation. His other selves groaned in annoyance at the thought that he was back. And since having already met this incarnation at a later time, or perhaps earlier, time was relative, he already knew of his rather rude manners and wasn't surprised.

+Hush now Nightmare Coat, the adults are talking. Now, what's the best way to water this down? Oh Yes! The sub-tronic network is kind of, well... Picture a banana. Are you thinking of it? +

An eyebrow was raised at that, but nothing was said. He pictured the fruit as his eleventh regeneration had asked, even if he wasn't sure why, then responded.

**Yes I'm picturing it...**

+Okay, good. Now forget it, it's nothing like that. +

The second incarnation huffed in reality, accidentally jamming a certain wire too harshly into the device, hissing in pain when it promptly responded with an electrical current to his uncovered hand. Perhaps it would have better to wear gloves during this procedure, like Jamie had asked.

Jamie was in fact, waiting for him in the console room, the Scot not wanting to wander off anywhere where he could either, as he was inclined to, get himself lost, or accidentally miss any warning sounds coming from the console in the event something 'bad' took place. And while the current Doctor had tried to convince Jamie that they were currently in a rather lonely corner of space so nothing was likely to happen, the young man seemed rather unwilling to take his word on that.

**Look, as helpful as your all being, if any of you have actual advice that would be nice. **He pushed the thought out as he sucked on his injured finger, feeling the voices in his mind shift about, some of them mumbling angrily, rather insulted in response to his comment, but eventually the voice of the eighth man came forward, trying his hand at some more helpful advice.

_Well that depends, how good are you at alarm clocks? _

**What does that have to do with this? **It seemed so far that these incarnations, that were originally meant to help him, were just messing with him on purpose; either that or they were really set on not having this device built in any proper or helpful way.

#Now that seems a little ungracious doesn't it, after all, this device is going to be a lot more help in the future than you're currently giving the poor thing.#

&As useful as K9? &

Many of the incarnations openly snickered at Ten's comment, leaving the first three regenerations to wonder what they were talking about. Two eventually shook it off, leaving the incarnations to their prattling as he got on with his work, taking a moment to look over at the blueprints that were made up for this device and cringed at the Gallifreyan circles that were crudely meant to be instructions.

**You couldn't have written down more specific directions could you One? **The message is pressed purposely towards the first incarnations, the numeral nickname used on purpose as Two knew how much he hated it.

_Hmm? Well it's not as if I had all the time in the world did I, no dilly dallying on such unimportant matters as direction when I was in your young state! _The unruly hobo psychically flinched a little under the older man's sharp tone, but said nothing more, continuing on with his work with what little written help there was.

It wouldn't really be seen as that bad in the little man's eyes, if it weren't for the fact that he wrote these directions in his Academy years. There was always a sense of embarrassment all incarnations of the Doctor felt when he thought back to his 'rebellious' years, as they called it.

Sure, the fact that he rebelled against Time Lord Policies even back then was not frowned upon, but just how he went about it never failed to add a decent amount of redness to his face. Perhaps this was the same as what his human companions called 'teenage years', where you made choices on impulse and were clearly embarrassed by them in the future.

Even the reason he was dismissed from the academy never ceased to humiliate him. And it was because of that fact that close friends turned enemies like Koschei and Ushas were always bringing it up in their spare time, such as whenever they were not attempting to rule the universe.

Two shook his head and tried to concentrate on the task at hand, without the help of certain incarnations of course. The shortest of the Doctors continued to work on the device, plainly blocking out any further attempts of advice any of the incarnations would make, he was set on doing this himself, especially since, judging from the accidental mental images that would go with the advice, this creation was apparently going to be very useful to many of his future incarnations at some point. And Rassilon knows how much he would enjoy the thought that it was all because of him.

Just the idea of that managed to get his previously annoyed frown to turn into a satisfied smug smirk, his sudden good mood making him more efficient in his work, the device looking as though it was much closer to nearing completion than a few seconds ago. The voices of his other selves were still chatting amongst themselves, the apparent fact that he was no longer listening to him becoming apparent to the others.

#So Eleven, I hear that you've gotten a far more advanced model recently? #

+Ah yes, the TARDIS made it for me, she's such a dear. +

&I wonder where she learned to do that? &

The raggedy hobo didn't really react to Ten's sarcastic call to him, but did leave a mental note to feed these instructions for the device, regardless of how difficult to understand, into the TARDIS at a later date. Not even the slightest doubt in his mind that she could provide a better model than any of the creations had a hope in making in their very rare sleep. Eventually his work was finished, the smug Time Lord held the complete device for all his incarnations to see.

And was not the slightest bit surprised, but was still rather annoyed, to hear their criticism in return.

{Nothing really to run home about is it?}

^No, not really, from what I remember it wasn't even that good at unlocking doors. ^

It seemed like the future incarnations he would become were nothing but immature children, quite the staple of the remark that maturity did not last with age, or that was how Two was seeing it.

Two frowned, now knowing, thanks to the official time and temporal residence of a Time Lord's mind, he'd only get to use this device, that he worked so hard to make, would be later considered as nothing that great in the case of usefulness. He huffed angrily, placing the device rather harshly back on the desk, walking out of the lab altogether rather unhappy. While he walked he decided that he would, just to show them up, not to update the device for the longest time, therefore stunting the proper time it would take to advance the device's capabilities in the future.

They may laugh now, but they certainly won't when the machine won't be able to do the most simplest of tasks, like a dead lock seal. He walked on, still rather miffed, and even if he did managed to get some kind of revenge, until he reached the console room where Jamie was waiting.

"Ah, there ye are Doctor, I thought ye said ye would be working on something, and ye wouldn't be back for quite some time. Nothing's happened yet so far." The young Scot said uneasily, noticing the alien's haughty attitude. He watched his Doctor quietly go about his business, setting the controls on the console for wherever they were going next.

"I finished it rather early, though not without some unnecessary and certainly unhelpful guidance." The hobo said rather sharply, though Jamie could tell that this wasn't directed at him. The strange man then surprisingly seemed silent for a few more minutes before talking again, seemingly to no one in the room since Jamie was now in the process of leaving.

"Well then, let's see how you like it when you can't get through wood." He grunted, flicking the switches a little more harshly than needed. Jamie only gave one more look back at the strange man before shrugging and leaving the room, sure that there was somewhere else in the TARDIS he was needed at that moment.

"I'll just leave you ta ya thoughts Doctor." Jamie muttered, not really knowing exactly how true his words were, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't be surprised. The current Doctor stood in front of the console, still hearing the debate, or rather demands from other incarnations on what the device should be called, most of them not currently happy with the name it was given, and by most it was definitely meant as the sixth incarnation.

"No I am not changing the name, temporal residence has not allowed me to use it any further than a few times, so you'll just have to deal with the name." He muttered angrily, probably not realizing that Jamie was gone, or that he was even speaking openly to an empty room. There were a few more minutes of silence as other incarnations voiced some of their complaints towards the name, the current incarnation just shrugging them off as petty whining.

"I don't care how much your companion likes to make fun of it; you're just going to have to live with the fact that it is what it is called, besides, exactly what could be funny about that?" Two grumbled, but his expression assuredly changed when he heard the incarnations reply, a little disgruntled by the rather avid description the future companion had given this incarnation.

"Yes, well... That's rather descriptive...Well really what else were you expecting when your companions a Time Agent hmm? And even then, I'm not changing the name." He still pushed the rest of their complaints away the only way he knew how. The one guarantee he had that he knew could make them flee like terrified children.

He brought out his recorder.

The hoboish traveler hadn't even brought the hated instrument to his lips when he felt his other selves leave as fast as they could, some of them not even bothering to say goodbye. He smirked, placing the recorder back in his jacket pocket before flicking a few more switches on the console, wondering where he could go next when a light started to flash on the console.

The Doctor groaned, unhappy even though he knew they would call back at some point. His very short lived good mood now nonexistent, the grumpy Time Lord pushed the appropriate button on the console, his hands now shoved in his pockets as one of his many 'Parole Officers' stared down at him from the scanner screen.

"Doctor, you are needed for an assignment. Details will be delivered to you, momentarily, it is suggested that you warn your companion ahead of time." With that, the scanner went black again, leaving the still rather miffed doctor to yell at the unresponsive screen.

"I don't suppose I could refuse, could I?" He shouted back, before walking from the console room to Jamie's quarters. While walking there he almost passed by the lab he was previously working in, the device still sitting patiently on the desktop for him to take. The Doctor walked back to the lab, picked up the device, turning it every which way in his hands before finally just shoving it in his pocket.

**Maybe just this once, but the name is definitely staying.**

+I agree, Sonic Screwdrivers are cool. +

* * *

_Your companion didn't really say that, did he? _

{...It was either that or the banana.}

&Bananas are good. &

* * *

**A/N: Alright, that was the Second Doctor's chapter, and in honor of this occasion, I am really endorsing to all you guys that you go read these Second Doctor Stories that had just completed recently:  
**

**Power of Two by aragonite  
**

**Black Widow by Leda74**

**I don't own these stories in any way, I just really want to put them out there, cuz they're brilliant.**

**Okay, please review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

_ **I own nothing but Oc's that aren't here so please enjoy.**_

* * *

_A _First Doctor

A Second Doctor

(A) Third Doctor

#A# Fourth Doctor

*A* Fifth Doctor

^A^ Sixth Doctor

-A- Seventh Doctor

_A_ Eighth Doctor

{A} Ninth Doctor

&A& Tenth Doctor

+A+ Eleventh Doctor

* * *

(Three): While there's life there's...

* * *

Three tries his best to continue to psychically push the thoughts of his past and future incarnations from his mind, a weary sigh that vibrated through his psyche, showing them exactly how exhausted the otherwise usually exuberant dandy was. Obviously he was very much not in the mood for their sarcastic jabs or childish banter.

An entire race had collapsed into nothingness today, an entire culture, just destroyed without so much as a thought to what was given up. The grey haired alien was currently residing in his silent laboratory, Liz having gone home for the day after a generally surprising but understandably cold goodbye from her lab partner. Despite his currently natural dislike for humanity at the moment, he might just apologize to her tomorrow for his behavior. After all, what had happened wasn't really any decision of hers.

Old tired eyes land on a UNIT labelled beaker, and his dislike burns anew. No, it wasn't her choice but it was most certainly his. The Brigadier was, other than being extremely lucky enough to not be in that room at that precise moment, helping most of the other soldiers in the cleanup efforts. And of course by most of the soldiers means all of them from this particular block of the base.

And while the silence that was created from it was a nice, fresh departure from the bustling, militaristic manners of normal everyday UNIT life, it was hauntingly lonely.

He was currently sitting at his work bench, the original intention being the continuing onslaught of the repair of the TARDIS' control circuits, being well forgotten as he rubbed his temples, his other incarnations still trying their best to be heard above the wall of white noise that was built for privacy long before the events of today had taken place.

While that did seem completely and unnaturally rude of him, he was, at the time, growing rather tired of his past and future selves constantly peaking in on his business, like a back seat driver or impatient assistant. They were really starting to get on his nerves with constant and never ending pitch ins' on how to repair the circuits of the TARDIS, which of course would naturally end in an all out argument on who could better steer the TARDIS.

After the fifth time that had occurred, the dandy man had decided it best if he just cut them out of his mind altogether, giving him the piece he wanted, and them the opportunity to find another incarnation's mind they could battle royal inside. Besides, Gallifreyans got migraines to.

Gently, he lifted up the dematerialization circuit, the only puzzle keeping him from his freedom. But at the same time, on occasion he would want nothing more than to have the offending object permanently removed from his sight. He had to wonder at times, after his unruly, caged temper had died down, how amusing his fellow Time Lords found his frustration. Certainly it must be a sense of entertainment whenever they grew bored of their glorified laziness, and when that happened all they need do is peer through an watch the exiled renegade vent his anger on primates, and laugh at how the mighty fall.

The dandy huffed, placing the circuit back on the table; he was getting off track on which over baring powers he should really be angry at right now. After all, no matter how inept and inexperienced in the emotion of giving a damn the Time Lords were, surely they would never allow for the genocide that the humans had caused today.

There was a pause of unique silence at that moment from his other incarnations, then as if his day couldn't get any worse, one of them managed to break through the white noise, determined to be heard by the now thoroughly annoyed man.

The incarnation said nothing, instead showed the third man an image, which of course at first appeared to be a little fuzzy, but that was only because of the energy it took to break past Three's psychic barrier. Three was given no option but to watch it, the image's receiver being very adamant to give up.

The image was of Silurians, alive and walking on the open land, killing any humans they came across in the open. Three watched the ongoing image in horror as he saw the incarnation that had shown him the image, and his companions, trying to fight of the Silurians, to save the humans in their company. He saw the crumbled down UNIT and embittered Brigadier, doing their best to fight of the reptile people. The image also shows Liz, being brave, so brave, even though the man she married in this apparent alternate reality had died while looking for food. The last of the image, was of the before thought as ignorant genocidal fool of the Brigadier, crying over the death of Silurian eggs, of the death he had caused.

(What...what happened?)

It was the first time in a while that he sent any type of mental message to any of his incarnations, and despite his rude nature of how he treated them, they replied. Because they know, they understand how much he needed to know this.

-You died in this universe, one of the Silurians, Morka, killed you. The Silurians rose up then, since we were dead and couldn't stop them. The Time Lords, they may have been aware of this, maybe not, but in the end I managed to stop this reality, to bring back the natural timeline.-

Three runs his hands through his grey, curly hair. This image had shaken him to his core, it changed everything and now he didn't know what to think. He had thought previously, that the Silurians and the humans could share this world in peace, he thought the problem was the humans completely wiping out the reptilian race, not the other way round. Now he wasn't sure if there had ever been hope, ever a chance that a human or Silurian could live in peace of some kind.

He could feel one of his incarnations, the fifth one, holding something back, like there was something he could add to this, but apparently really did not want to do so. Three decided it best not to push him for what he was hiding, figuring that whatever it was, he would either be told, or would find out at a later date the way that time intended.

Another incarnation chose that moment to show Three another image, but this one was not of death or horror. It was a photograph of two women in Victorian dress. One was human, the other Silurian, they looked rather happy in each other's company. Three of course, didn't miss the matching rings on their hands, and raised an eyebrow.

+They're married, they live in peace Three. Maybe the whole world isn't ready for another whole race to join them, but some people are, and that's good enough for now right? +

He could feel other incarnation's feelings of warmth and respect towards the eleventh's thoughts. Three added his own feelings of respect, happy that one of his incarnations was able to give him some hope at this time.

The old dandy looked back at the military labelled science equipment, he may be able to let go of his grief of the Silurian genocide, especially since he knew now, at some time there would be acceptance, in time. But he found it difficult, even with the image his seventh persona had shown him, to let go of his anger towards the Brigadier.

*This might not have been the ending you wanted, but that doesn't mean it's what he wanted either. I'm certain that if there were another way, he would have taken it.*

#And for a narrow minded, military idiot, that's an accomplishment. #

Three smirked at that, feeling allot better as he placed the military equipment carefully back in the small closet. But of course this small moment of happiness had to be ruined by someone. Six guesses who.

^Did I hear right? Or was that a compliment? ^

+Oh buzz off Six, you always know how to ruin a good mood. +

^Excuse me; with your taste in bow ties you surely know how to ruin any room. ^

+Bow ties are cool. +

**They certainly are.**

_I'd really like an explanation on who made you, of all people, an expert in fashion._

{Eight's right; I mean how have you avoided getting attacked by the closest fashion student? I'm curious. }

& Yeah, I'd like to know too. &

And with that, the bickering started up again. So Three decided it best to block them out while they had their usual little squabble. The current Doctor picked up the broken Dematerialization circuit, his determination renewed, if only for him to have a reason to never be so bored that listing to the immature arguments of his other selves was the only entertainment he would receive. It was during this relatively quiet working time that he heard the sounds of the UNIT jeeps pulling into the parking lot of the base. His nose twitched but that was the only response he gave, wisely deciding to choose to still ignore the presence of the soldiers until they made themselves known to him, since he knew they might actually be rather wary of his anger. Which would be understandable, after all, he did make quite the scene when he first returned to UNIT HQ.

The Brigadier might also be a little hesitant to speak to him, though the Doctor was sure that might not be true, but he would pay real money to see that. He hadn't really noticed until now, but the Brigadier did seem rather tight lipped and closed off recently, but the Time Lord had never really bothered to ask why. Now that he thought about it, there was something different about the man, something small, usually unnoticeable, was missing.

It was just at that moment that the current Doctor was thinking of it, that the Brigadier appeared in the lab, not looking even the slightest bit hesitant like the Doctor had maybe thought. He walked forward, placing a stone on the table the dandy was working on, though respectfully making sure that it didn't touch any of his lab equipment.

"The men found this in the rubble, it was glowing when they brought it forward, thought you might have an answer on what it is." The Doctor looked up from his work for the first time since the military leader had entered the room, and looked over at the small stone, inspecting it with his alien eyes before smiling slightly, moving from his seat to pick up the actually rather heavy mineral in his large hands, inspecting it with as much care as possible.

"My dear fella, do you realize what this is?" The Brigadier, for the first time since entering the lab, seemed genuinely surprised at his strange advisor's sudden good mood, but still decided not to question it as a happy Doctor was easier to deal with on a daily basis than an infuriated, grumpy or even just a tad mildly irritated one.

"Not really Doctor, I was hoping you could tell me." He answered patiently, placing one of his hands down on the flat surface of the bench, giving the Doctor the chance to see the missing wedding ring that created the pale line across the man's finger. He didn't comment on it for the moment, figuring that if the Brigadier wanted him to know about it, he'd tell him.

And instead, with helpful information from his future incarnations, he went on a rather large explanation of what he stone was, which really to simplify it like the Brigadier would have probably liked, it was merely a piece of jewellery or keepsake Silurians would give to their mates or children. Like jewellery, except not really.

The Doctor handed the stone over for the Brigadier to hold, not surprised when he saw the object starting to glow a peculiar light red, the light spanning out a bit and reflecting off both the men's faces as they watched the now illuminated liquid in the stone swirl around, gleaming briefly in the sunlight that a nearby open window provided. The human looked back at the Doctor, his expression asking for another explanation, though he did not let go of the stone while he waited.

"I'd gather that, from the explanation of what this stone is meant to mean in Silurian culture, the stone picks up on your brain patterns, and if you're thinking of a loved one, it'll glow." The Doctor replied to the unspoken question, walking back to his seat at the bench as he picked up the dematerialisation circuit, continuing to work quietly. Eventually after a few seconds he noticed that Alistair was still there, having placed the now no longer glowing stone back on the bench, the liquid like substance inside it no longer visible.

"Well I given my inspection, aren't you going to throw it in a safe somewhere?" Right now was probably not the best time to be his usual grumpy self, but at the same time he couldn't really help it. The Brigadier didn't look at all insulted, and instead shook his head.

"No Doctor. There hasn't been a file made for this stone yet, I was hoping you could, analyze it more before it's taken away." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at the over accented 'analyze', then grinned, taking the stone in his hands, his fingers running carefully over its Gem like surface. He knew this was kind of peace offering form the man, and while he usually would be a little rough to the offerings, he accepted this very gratefully.

"Thank you my good chap, I'll be sure to have a report ready tomorrow." Now the Brigadier was certainly surprised. If there was one thing The Doctor had never done nor offered to do since his arrival here, it was paperwork. Exactly how severe was the poor man's head injury?

"Erm...That won't be necessary Doctor, just...Take good care of the thing." He turned and left the lab, not recognizing until he reached his office that he had just openly gave up the opportunity to have his strangely dressed Scientific Adviser actually doing some recorded advisory of science. He walked back into his office, taking a seat at his desk before noticing that he actually didn't really having anything to do right at that moment.

"Captain Yates!" The younger military man quickly walked into the office, saluting his superior. Alistair stood from his desk and picked up the suitcase eh usually took with him to work in the mornings, noting how surprisingly empty it was in comparison to a few hours ago.

"You will hold down the fort for the rest of the day, any paperwork that needs doing I expect to hear you were right on it." Mike nodded and took a seat at the desk, noting a relatively small stack of paper that sat on his right.

"Yes sir, oh and Sir?" The Brigadier waited patiently by the door for the Captain's last words. Yates smiled and pulled a pen form his pocket, already starting the paperwork that was waiting for him.

"Tell Kate I said hi, and happy birthday." Alistair smiled and left. His daughter Kate wasn't really aware of what her father did for a living, but she had met the chaps during a bring your daughter to work day, that his ex-wife, despite his reluctance, demanded was not only real but he had actually missed quite a few of them. As Alistair climbed into his civilian car he checked his watch, happy to see that it was still relatively early in the morning, in fact if he was lucky, Kate might not even be awake yet.

He could still make it to her birthday party then, but would he get her? Alistair patted down his pockets before taking off one of his medals that he knew Kate really liked to play with when she was younger. That would do. The Brigadier then drove out of UNIT HQ, happy to leave the actually quite stressful morning behind him.

The Doctor watched as the Brigadiers car drove away, a strangely satisfied smirk on his face as he held the Silurian Gem Stone, watching as it glowed a dim red.

(So you say her name is Kate Stewart?)

+Yeah, and she's gonna be brilliant...+

* * *

_What have you all been talking about hmm? Trying to keep me out of were you?_

{Oh we wouldn't dare.}

* * *

**REFERENCES MADE HERE:**

**Seven's image: Virgin New Adventures, Blood Heat**

**What Five was holding back: Warriors of the Deep**

**Eleven's image: Vastra and Jenny**

**The Silurian Gem Stone...erm I don't actually know if that is a thing in the show's continuity, I just made it up. **

**Kate Stewart: originally a novel character, first New Series appearance: Power of Three.**

**Honorable mention: Nicholas Courtney who played the Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, from when he was a Corporal right to his retirement years, is sadly no longer with us.  
**

**Please review, constructive criticism very welcome**


	4. Chapter 4

_A _First Doctor

A Second Doctor

(A) Third Doctor

#A# Fourth Doctor

*A* Fifth Doctor

^A^ Sixth Doctor

-A- Seventh Doctor

_A_ Eighth Doctor

A Ninth Doctor

&A& Tenth Doctor

+A+ Eleventh Doctor

_**Special guest:**_

A Romana II

* * *

#Four#: The middle aged renegade

* * *

Four stayed in the control room long after the scanner had gone blank, the message from Gallifrey still echoing rather forbiddingly around the console room, which was silenced as soon as Romana had closed the door behind her. He said nothing aloud, feeling as if nothing could be said, and continued to pilot the TARDIS for the next few minutes while he ate his jelly babies and thought to himself.

Letting go of companions was never anything he'd ever really had chosen to do by force. They always left by some decision that was not made by him, and he would just nod sadly and let them go, wishing them luck in whatever they chose to do for themselves or others.

This incarnation was quite the difference as he had noticed, since he not only had no decision or control in their leaving, he also apparently had no power over them arriving into his life. After Sarah left, they just seemed to show up and stick around with this incarnation. He never tried to find a friend, they just found him.

Romana was no different from them, but at the same time she was completely different. She was a Time Lord, a rather brilliant one at that, though he would never, ever admit that to her, not even verbally. In fact saying it in his mind right now is a danger as she would somehow find out about it. And if it was one thing Romana was good at, it was finding things out.

Then, she regenerated and things changed, but in a good way. The new Romana was not as arrogant as the last Romana, that didn't mean that she wasn't arrogant, because she most certainly was. But it seemed toned down a tad, which he always found very appropriate, in his own arrogant way.

She was also much more open to the worlds they visited than she was before, very in depth, very interested, if not just a bit uppity over the rather under developed technologies of the time zone, but that was to be suspected of a Time Lord. He himself had done that to the Brigadier many a time during his little earth exile stint.

The Doctor frowned and put his Jelly Babies back in his never ending pocket. Thinking about his exile always did manage to somehow ruin his appitite, even with Jelly Babies.

Moving away from the console, Four pondered over what he should do next. He knew he should go after Romana, who was most likely in her room, completely miserable, but at the same time he didn't know what to say to her, how to comfort her.

Like he said before, she was just like every other companion he had in this life; they walked right into it, ready and happy to do so. But Romana was probably one of the first who did not want to leave when other forces demanded it. The first that he would have to force, an action he would not and never will like.

Well, not really, there was Susan.

Four could already feel his other selves speaking out in his mind, One in particular to defending his action, not that Four was ever saying it was wrong, and never would. He listened to them all Stating how their decision was for her benefit and no one else's. But they didn't understand how different this was, Romana was not Susan. They might both be Time Ladies; both brilliant in their own ways, but that was all that was similar between them in this incarnations opinion.

Susan was made to leave, as stated before, for her own good. Romana was being made to leave for the good of the Time Lords, and no one else. They did not like the fact that she was free, that she was turning away from a normal and acceptable non-interfering existence, but for some reason did not care enough for the longest time to step in. But apparently for some reason right now was when they chose to put their foot down, not even bothering to explain why. Four wasn't sure why they had decided to do this now, what with Romana; this incarnation in particular, had traveled with him for much longer than any other human or other companion. If they really had felt that she should have come back to Gallifrey right after the Key to Time mission was completed, they would have done or said so at the time.

It infuriated him, but at the same time it didn't shock him that they would be so callous. Perhaps they had done this now so as to make her that much more hurt, having given her the thought that she was free, letting the chain of the proverbial dog collar lead out for quite some time, before yanking back, and watch her struggle and plead for the freedom she thought she had. He knew that, because they did it to him, in the very beginning.

They let him think himself free from their ways, but wrangled him back and punished him for leaving. And they did so by forcing his regeneration, changing him from who he was and cruelly giving him some freedom from them, but not freedom altogether.

He didn't want that for her, the thought of it happening to her was worse than the thought of receiving the punishment again and longer. She was much younger than him, younger and more inexperienced than he had ever thought himself. The pain of seeing the world pass him by in the slowest of times that he ever thought possible, it was hard to bear, even for him. She could not be, and hopefully never would be expected to deal with something like that. And that was why, despite his and his other incarnations rather unhappy disagreement with it, he had to send her back to Gallifrey.

**This is what they do; they make us just like them. **

There was a pause, and Four could feel the hatred that earlier and some later incarnations had for the Time Lords spring anew, burning bright in the small cerebral cranny of the brain that they were all squeezed and stored into after regeneration. Fury, humiliation, regret and shame, such horrid, clashing and gaudy colors of red in his vision.

_How dare they! They have no right! _

*This will not be forgotten!*

^This is what it takes to become really corrupt! ^

-These are weapons they would use!-

Their words of anger blurred together, but the meaning behind them was all the same, all infuriated for her. All afraid for her.

A few notably did not join on their tirade, and instead spoke to Four, edging him away from the console room and into the hallways just beyond the door Romana had exited only a few minutes ago. The red was still in his mind, in front of his eyes, and he wasn't sure what to do.

{Go, talk to her.}

+She might understand, she needs to see that you understand. +

&Please, go to her&

He moved from the room, and into the hallway. The red disappeared as he walked, the other incarnations noticing during their anger fueled moment what he was doing, and soon quieted themselves down, watching him on what he would do next, what he would say next. By the time he reached Romana's room, he was back in his usually as not proper mind before his other selves began their rant.

He does knock, despite the fact he knows she wouldn't care. When he enters she's not even looking at him, not looking at anything really in particular, just the plain colored floor.

"The Time Lords want me back." She looks up at him, but his back's to her. He does this with a sense of regret, feeling as though he was turning his back on her plight. But facing her would be much harder, much more difficult as he would see what was in her eyes. And instead, he got to hear it in his mind as she breached the wall he had built up before he entered the room.

She was always so clever.

Don't let me go back Doctor. I won't be the same if I did.

She doesn't beg, she's too proud to do that and he's proud of her for that. But he even in his mind he tries to ignore her, and instead replies with an excuse which while logically factual, seems flimsy to the both of them.

"Yes well, you only came to help with the Key To Time." She remembers that, he can feel it in his mind, feel her thinking back on her old self, who at this moment is most likely chastising her for even staying around for as long as she did. He smiles and looks over one of her many books, not really reading it as he waits for her next move. He really shouldn't think of this as one of those metal games they usually played, since she was actually serious about this, but it seemed easier to deal with if he did.

"Doctor, I don't want to spend the rest of my life on Gallifrey - after all this!" She stands up to further instigate her determination, which he takes on with ease, nodding to her with the book in his hands, which she takes from him and places back on her desk. He doesn't like what she's alluding to, and decides to beat her to the chase, hoping this harsh dose of reality would stop her.

"Well you can't fight the Time Lords Romana." His other selves continue in their rant, but in quieter murmurs, but he knows her past self is going insane with anger, demanding that she go back to Gallifrey, that she had better not challenge them. But she ignores her first self, instead continuing to be debate, never stopping in her cause.

Just like him.

"You did once." Rants burst anew, on both Time Lords parts. Romana's first incarnation is furious still, demanding her new self see sense. Four's incarnations are no longer angry at the Time Lords, instead their regretful, feeling as though their past, their actions had influenced her to this point, telling her in some strange way that, that this decision was okay.

"And lost." His other selves started to push at the other side of the mental wall he had put up between himself and Romana, wanting to show the far younger and inexperienced Time Lady exactly what she would be in for if she went through with that. What type of humiliation, degrading and embarrassment she would receive from the High Council. How the label of 'renegade' would be branded onto her for the rest of all time. And while she may think little of these things as she often saw the Doctor doing the same, that did not change how big of an effect they would have on her lives, how it would affect her mind.

#You will lose to Romana. You cannot fight them, nor run away from them. #

I could try

Just then, his other selves managed to break down the wall, the flood of voices all speaking at once, leaving the two current Time Lords to wince slightly at the unexpected noise before they calmed down. Though they still spoke over one another in an effort to be heard, leaving quite the jumbled intervention.

-And what would you do then? You cannot run far, you would be caught before you even started.-

**Just like we were, or are depending on how you look at it.**

_You are being rather irresponsible here my dear, you are not like us, there is still a future for you on Gallifrey._

But it's not the future I want.

^Sounding oddly familiar, isn't she? ^

They ignored the comment of Six, a regularly annoying occurrence. Romana even coolly ignored it, which was actually rather polite of her, considering that his comment would have actually helped her cause. They were still sitting in silence, the other incarnations in both their minds becoming silent as well, awaiting what the current Romana would say next. The next move was her's again.

But Three had grown impatient, and instead showed her a very quick metal projection of the life he got to live in this incarnation, how a good first half of it was spent in isolation from the rest of the universe. How hard it had been to get use to the fact that he was stuck on a planet he was not from, how difficult it was to see the old friends that he had known, that since they weren't Time Lords, did not know who he was, and did not trust him.

(And that was my life, and while there is a chance that you would be saved from that type of punishment, it doesn't mean there wouldn't be something worse awaiting you around the corner.)

-And we narrowly escaped a death penalty; the chances of that happening again are sadly very limited.-

&And is you are saved from that, if you're lucky enough to escape punishment, you're name will never be forgotten. They will drag it through the mud until there isn't the slightest amount of clean innocence known behind it. &

The Time Lady sat back down on her bed, the images and words of the Third incarnation having hit some type of cord in her, so they didn't stop there. Two and Six showed her their respected trials, how close they had been to the end, but scrapped by on a lucky chance. Five showed her their reluctance to save his life when it was placed in danger, only because helping him would have placed them in danger.

Then the current Doctor, Four, showed her his own memories of Gallifrey, how his mere presence was manipulated so he was placed in danger, that he only escaped by a trip through the Matrix and a political loophole. But what happened next seemed a little blank in his mind, but he didn't seem that bothered about that, one less bad memory about his home, the better.

_Romanadvoratrelundar, you can be spared from all of this, just by the simplest thing._

(Go home, and be safe.)

Suddenly the TARDIS started behaving oddly, which is a normal occurrence, but the action was not. Romana pulled her mind out of the discussion to take note of what was happening. Four felt his other selves pull away to, knowing that this was the end of the battle, but certainly not the war.

"What's happening?" Four isn't sure himself, but he can tell she knows that whatever is happening, it certainly had nothing to do with returning to Gallifrey.

"I don't know." He looks over at her, the world seeming to tilt and waver at an unusual angle, but he was certain that no matter how disturbed the environment may be, he knew what he had mentally heard from his younger and inexperienced companion.

I can't wait to find out.

* * *

Their time in E-space was at an end, the exit had been discovered and they were almost out of there. All it took was a quick run to the TARDIS without even the slightest look behind them, seemed much easier than the effort it took to get this new CVE up and running to escape. They were just at the TARDIS, when she stopped and changed her mind.

"What's the matter?" Romana smiles and shakes her head, stepping a bit back from the TARDIS. She was still smirking when she replies.

"I'm not going with you." Why did he get the feeling that she was going to do this? He really didn't want to have to make her, but then again there was going to be an explosion any moment, and he didn't want to stick around for that.

"Inside, that's an order!" She's still smirking at him, hands on her hips. He hates how grumpy and old he sounds then, but then again he doesn't really care. She was being ridiculous right now, and childish. So he supposed the only way to react was to be childish back.

"No more orders Doctor, goodbye." He was hoping she didn't really mean it, that she was just punishing him in some strange way because she knew the first place they were heading as soon as they reached N-Space was Gallifrey, were she would return to her old life. But no, she was serious and he didn't know whether to be happy for her since she found a freedom that the Time Lords could not stop, or furious that she was choosing it in a way that he would never see her again.

"What a moment to choose!" He was right about that, since if it were any other moment, they could have talked over it, discussed it more. But she was always smarter than that, and most certainly did not want another discussion with their respected past and future selves.

"But it is isn't it? A moment to choose? I've got to be my own Romana." But she was her own Romana, she might have not known that, but it didn't make it untrue. And now she was leaving, so quick and deliberate he wasn't sure if he could even get a word in. She was going to walk away now, on her own. He couldn't just let her do this on her own, there had to be something he could give her to make sure she would be alright. He could hear the sound of rumbling machine and grinned.

"Wait, wait, there's something else." He reaches behind him, K9 waiting patiently to be noticed and taken care of. He hands the mechanical dog over to her; a final gift would be a more fitting title. He makes a quick duck into the TARDIS, feeling that if he stayed outside with her for more than a second longer, he might have dragged her back with him, kicking and screaming. That would have been selfish of him, and he knew it but didn't care.

"I'll miss you." He meant that, really he did. Maybe he thought if he said it she would stay, but she mustn't have heard him as she went to leave, not really saying anything else as she walked off through the white void with her new friend. Already he was missing her, a piece of him going off with her. After all, that version K9 was a very good dog; he might not build another one after him.

"You were the noblest Romana of them all." He slams the doors shut, feeling as though he couldn't control himself enough to not say anything else that would inflate her almost genetic Time Lord ego. Four doesn't say much as he pilots the TARDIS through the CVE, his new companion Adric watching quietly and not daring to speak up, the slightly lowering of the temperature in the control room being an excellent sign that he shouldn't say anything.

He could feel himself growing old, much older in those few seconds than he had ever done the time he had been The Doctor, which was actually far longer than any other incarnation yet. He couldn't feel a constant grin on his face anymore; in fact the large teeth he usually displayed were very well hidden behind his unhappy and grumpy frown.

Now that he was thinking about it, since when did he like burgundy? It seemed a darker colour than he would usually wear, but at the same time it seemed very appropriate for the person he was now. The TARDIS shuddered slightly as it was freeing itself into N-space. The scanner turned itself on to show him and a tag along Adric an image of Romana, K9 and her new friend. She didn't wave, and only seemed to notice the TARDIS as it started to disappear.

His hands seemed so ancient to him, flicking the switches of the console seemed such an effort, the bones in his fingers creaking with every flick. His eyes were tired, he was tired. It was only after his brief discussion with Adric, when he winced at how grumpy, how tired he sounded in his tone and attitude, he knew.

It was time.

After all, a Time Lord can only live so long.

He thinks of what Sarah had said all those years back, far longer than he had ever remembered it before. She was joking, not aware of how true she was actually being in that moment.

"Ah, you'll soon be middle aged." She was forced out too, just like Susan, just like Romana, and it was because of the Time Lords. Because of their rules and regulations that he had to follow, that he chose to follow. Because he didn't want to see her drift away on her own, he was too close to her, like he was with Romana.

That's why he never tried to let anyone in again after she left, why he just let them drop in and out like falling rain. He couldn't do that anymore, his next body he knew, he had to let them in. He had to make that choice, or become old and grumpy and important again.

#I've reached middle age. #

* * *

"You know it's interesting, before I met you I was even willing to be impressed."

"Indeed?"

* * *

&Wait, Five was the mid life crisis? I always thought that was Nine. &

{Oi! Watch it Jarvis Cocker.}

* * *

**This chapter is mostly a Romana II/Four ship, because I ship that, sooo much.**

**But still I have to make an honorable mention to the wonderful actress who played Romana's first incarnation, Mary Tamm, who is sadly no longer with us.**

**Another honorable mention goes to Elizabeth Sladen who played Sarah Jane Smith.**


End file.
